Steinberg Cubase 6 Manual
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532 Customizing Background The user can customize the appearance and functionality of Cubase in various ways. User configurable items described in this chapter are: •Workspaces By storing different window combinations as workspaces, you can quickly switch between different working modes – see “Workspaces” on page 532. •Setup dialogs Several parts of the user interface (toolbars, Transport panel, Inspector, info lines and Channel Settings windows) provide a Setup dialog, where you can configure which items of the respective window area or panel are to be shown or hidden and where they are located – see “Using the Setup options” on page 534. •Track list The controls shown in the track list can be set for each track type – see “Customizing track controls” on page 535. •Appearance The general look of the program can be adjusted – see “Appearance” on page 536. •Track and event colors You can adjust which colors are used – see “Applying colors in the Project window” on page 537. This chapter also contains a section describing where your preferences and settings are stored (see “Where are the settings stored?” on page 539), to help you transfer your customized settings to another computer. Workspaces A configuration of Cubase windows is called a “work- space”. A workspace stores the size, position and content of all windows, allowing you to quickly switch between dif - ferent working modes via the menu or by using key com- mands. For example, you may want as large a Project window as possible when you are editing, whereas you may want the Mixer and effect windows open during mix - down. Workspaces are listed and managed on the Work- spaces submenu of the Window menu. Editing the active workspace There is always one workspace active, even if you have not saved any. To make changes to the active workspace, you simply set up the windows as desired – including opening, closing, moving and sizing windows, and adjust - ing zoom and track height. The changes are automatically stored for the active workspace. •To keep a workspace from being accidentally changed, select “Lock Active Workspace” from the Workspaces submenu. A locked workspace will keep its original window settings. You may change the current window layout on the screen, but the next time you select the workspace again, the originally stored layout is recalled.
533 Customizing Creating a new workspace 1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work- spaces submenu. 2.Select “New Workspace”. 3.In the dialog that opens, enter a name for the work- space. 4.Click OK. The workspace is stored and will appear on the submenu. It is now the active workspace. 5.Set up the windows you want to include in the new workspace. This may include opening, moving and sizing windows, and adjusting zoom and track height. ÖThe number of workspaces you can add is not limited. Activating a workspace 1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work- spaces submenu. 2.Select a workspace from the list on the submenu. The windows are closed, opened, moved and/or resized according to the stored workspace. •You can also activate workspaces by using the corre- sponding key commands (see “Key commands” on page 541). Organizing workspaces and presets If you select “Organize…” from the Workspaces submenu, the Organize Workspaces dialog opens. The list to the left shows the workspaces in the active proj- ect, while the list to the right shows the workspace presets. While workspaces are stored with each project, workspace presets can be stored globally, allowing you to set up a number of workspaces for use in any project. Workspace presets store the position and size of the main windows only – project-specific windows are not included. •In the Workspaces list to the left, you can rename work- spaces (by double-clicking and typing) and lock or unlock them. •The arrow buttons between the two lists allow you to copy the selected workspace to a workspace preset, or vice versa. •The buttons below each list let you add, remove, or ac- tivate workspaces or presets. You can also activate a workspace or a preset by double-clicking in its number column. •Normally, when you use key commands to activate workspaces, they relate to the order in the workspace list, e. g. the key command for “Workspace 1” selects the first workspace on the list and so on. However, if you activate the Use IDs checkbox, you can enter a number in the ID column for each workspace. This number will be used as reference when you are using key com-mands, so that the key command for “Workspace 1” recalls the work- space with ID 1. •Workspace presets are not only saved globally, but also included in the project. If you open a project on a different system, by default the global presets stored on this sys - tem are shown in the list to the right. To see the presets included in your project, activate the “Show Project Pre - sets” option. •Activate the “Auto Instantiate Presets” option to convert all global workspace presets automatically into workspaces when you create a new project or open a project. •To close the dialog, click the OK button. Note that you can continue working in other windows with the Organize Workspaces dialog open.
534 Customizing Using the Setup options You can customize the appearance of the following ele- ments: • Transport panel • Info line • Channel Settings window • Toolbars • Inspector The setup context menus If you right-click the Transport panel, the toolbars, the info lines, or the Inspector, the respective setup context menu opens. For Channel Settings windows, these options are found in the dialog’s context menu, on the Customize View submenu. Here, you can activate/deactivate ele - ments as desired. The following general options are available on the setup context menus: •“Show All” makes all items visible. •“Default” resets the interface to the default setting. •“Setup…” opens the Setup dialog (see below). If presets are available, they can be selected on the lower half of the menu. The info line setup context menu The Setup dialogs If you select “Setup…” from the setup context menus, the Setup dialog opens. This allows you to specify which ele - ments are visible/hidden and to set the order of the ele- ments. You can also save and recall setup presets in this dialog. The dialog is divided into two sections. The left section displays the currently visible items and the right section displays the currently hidden items. •You can change the current show/hide status by select- ing items in one section and then use the arrow buttons in the middle of the dialog to move them to the other section. Changes are applied directly. •By selecting items in the “Visible Items” list and using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can reorder the items list. Changes are applied directly. To undo all changes and revert to the stan- dard layout, select “Default” on the setup context menu. •If you click the Save button (disk icon) in the Presets section, a dialog opens, allowing you to name the current configuration and save it as a preset. •To remove a preset, select it on the presets pop-up menu and click the trash icon. •Saved configurations are available for selection from the Presets pop-up menu in the Setup dialog or directly from the setup context menu.
535 Customizing Customizing track controls For each track type you can configure which track con- trols are shown in the track list. You can also specify the order of controls and group controls so that they are al - ways shown adjacent to each other. This is done using the Track Controls Settings dialog. Opening the Track Controls Settings dialog There are two ways to open the dialog: •Right-click a track in the track list and select “Track Controls Settings…” from the context menu. •Click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the track list and select “Track Controls Settings…”. Setting the track type The settings made in the Track Controls Settings dialog apply to the selected track type, which is shown in the menu display in the top left corner of the dialog. •To change the track type, click the arrow to the right in the menu display and select a track type from the pop-up menu. All settings made in the dialog will apply to all tracks (current and subse-quent) of the selected type. The Track Type pop-up menu in the Track Controls Settings dialog ÖAlways make sure that you have selected the desired track type when editing the track controls! Removing, adding, and moving track controls The dialog is divided into two sections. The left section displays controls currently visible in the track list, and the right section displays the controls currently hidden. •You can hide controls from the track list by selecting them in the list to the left and clicking the Remove button. To show hidden elements, select them in the list to the right and click the Add button. Click OK to apply the changes. ÖAll controls can be removed except the Mute and Solo buttons. •By selecting controls in the “Visible Controls” list and using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can change the order of the list. Click OK to apply the changes. Grouping track controls If you resize the track list, the position of the controls will change dynamically to accommodate as many controls as possible in the available space (given that Wrap Controls is activated – see below). By grouping several track con - trols you ensure that they are always positioned side by side in the track list.
536 Customizing To group controls, proceed as follows: 1.Make sure that you have selected the correct track type. 2.In the “Visible Controls” section, select at least two controls. You can only group controls that are adjacent to each other in the list. To group controls that are currently not adjacent in the list, use the Move Up/Down buttons first. 3.Click Group. A number is displayed in the Group column for the grouped controls. The first group created has the number 1, the second 2, and so on. 4.Click OK. The controls are now grouped. •You can ungroup controls by using the Ungroup button. Please note that this will remove the selected element and the elements below it in the list from this group. To remove an entire group, select the first (topmost) element belong - ing to this group and click the Ungroup button. About Wrap Controls This is activated by default. Wrap Controls allows the controls to be dynamically repositioned when resizing the track list. That is, as many controls as possible will be dis - played depending on the current size of the track list. If you deactivate Wrap Controls, the positions of the con- trols are fixed, regardless of the size of the track list. In this mode, you may have to resize the tracks vertically (by drag - ging the dividers between them) to display all the controls. About the Length column The Length column in the Visible Controls list allows you to set the maximum length for certain text fields, e. g. Name. To change the setting, click on the number in the Length column and type in a new value. Resetting track list settings You have two possibilities to reset the settings: •Click Reset to restore all default track controls settings for the selected track type. •Click Reset All to restore all default track controls set- tings for all track types. Saving presets You can save track controls settings as presets for later recall: 1.Click on the Save button (the “+” sign) to the right of the Presets pop-up menu. A dialog opens, asking you to type in a name for the preset. 2.Click OK to save the settings as a preset. Saved presets are available for selection from the Presets pop-up menu and from the pop-up menu in the top left corner of the track list. •To remove a preset, select it in the Track Controls Set- tings dialog and click the Delete button (the “-” sign). ÖCubase comes with a number of Track Controls Set- tings presets available. Appearance In the Preferences dialog, you find a page called Appear- ance. The following settings are available: General The controls on the General page affect the appearance of the windows that surround the controls and workspaces in Cubase. •Color Intensity determines how rich the background colors are, from gray to blue. •Color Lightness lightens or darkens the background. •The Color Tone slider changes the background color. •Button Brightness can be used to separately lighten or darken the buttons.
537 Customizing Meters The coloring of meters in Cubase can be controlled in so- phisticated ways. Multiple colors can help to visually indi- cate what levels are being reached, e. g. in a channel of the VST Mixer. To do this, the meter on the Appearances– Meters page has color handles that allow you to define what color the meter will have at a given signal level. The Appearances–Meters page in the Preferences dialog •You can click on any color handle and move its position on the meter scale. If you hold down [Shift] while moving the handle with the mouse, it will move ten times slower for more precise positioning. You may also nudge the color handle’s position with the Arrow Up/Down keys. Holding [Shift] while nudging will move the color handle ten times faster. •You can add color handles by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking anywhere along the side of the meter scale. To remove a color handle, [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the handle. By adding more color handles to the meter scale, you can define colors for more specific signal levels. Try adding two color handles very close to one another. You can make the meter color change more rapidly at a specific signal level this way. •To change the color of a handle, select the handle by ei- ther clicking on it or by jumping to it with the [Tab] key (hold down [Shift] and press the [Tab] key to jump back - wards). Then use the hue and brightness controls on the right side to alter the handle’s color. The currently selected color handle is indicated by a black triangle on its left side. Work Area The work areas in Cubase are those places where the ac- tual data are displayed such as the Project window event display. In these areas, there are items such as vertical and horizontal grid lines that can be altered in intensity by the controls found on this page. Applying colors in the Project window You can use color scheming for an easier overview of tracks and events in the Project window. Colors can be applied individually to tracks and events/parts. If you color a track, the corresponding events and parts are displayed in the same color. However, you can also color events and parts differently, “overriding” the applied track color. In the following sections you will learn how to set up pref- erences to color tracks automatically, how to color parts or events manually, how to determine whether you want to color the events themselves or their background, and how to customize the color palette for selecting colors. Applying track colors automatically In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you can find the “Auto Track Color Mode” option.
538 Customizing This offers you several options for automatically assigning colors to tracks that are added to the project. The follow - ing options are available: Coloring tracks, parts, or events manually You can color each track, part, or event in the Project win- dow individually by using the Select Colors pop-up menu on the toolbar. Parts and events can also be colored using the Color tool. About the Select Colors pop-up menu 1.In the Project window, select the item that you want to color. You can select tracks, parts, or events. 2.On the toolbar, open the “Select Colors” pop-up menu and select a color. If parts or events are selected, the color is applied to these parts and events. To change the color of a track, no events or parts must be se -lected on that track. ÖWhen you change the color of a track, the new color will be used for all events on the track and for the corre - sponding channel strip in the Mixer. However, if you have assigned a different color to individual parts or events, these will not follow color changes of the track any longer. •To reset the color of a track, part, or event, select the corresponding item and choose the “Default Color” option from the “Select Colors” pop-up menu. About the Color tool 1.Open the Select Colors pop-up menu and select a color. 2.On the toolbar, select the Color tool. 3.Click on the desired parts and events to assign the color. The color is applied to the parts and events and overrides the track color. •If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a part/event with the Color tool, a color palette is displayed allowing you to select a color for the event. •If you press [Alt]/[Option], the Color tool cursor be- comes a pipette, which can be used to select the current color of a part/event in order to apply it to another part/ event. About the Similar Tracks options You can use the selected color of one track to colorize other tracks of the same type (e. g. all audio tracks). Set up the desired color for a track of a certain track type and right-click this track in the track list to open a context menu. Depending on your settings and selections you can choose one of the following options: •Use Color for Similar Tracks When you select this, all tracks of the same type get the same color. •Use Color for Similar Selected Tracks Use this to apply the same color to tracks within a selection. The color of the topmost track in the selection is then applied to other tracks of the same type within the selection. OptionEffect Use Default Event ColorThe default color (gray) is assigned. Use Previous Track ColorAnalyzes the color of the selected track and uses the same color for the new track. Use Previous Track Color +1Analyzes the color of the selected track and uses the color that comes next in the color palette for the new track. Use Last Applied ColorUses the color that is selected in the Select Colors pop- up menu. Use Random Track ColorUses the color palette as a basis to assign track colors randomly.
539 Customizing The Project Colors dialog In the Project Colors dialog you can select a different set of colors for items in the Project window. To open the Project Colors dialog, open the Select Colors pop-up menu on the toolbar and choose “Select Colors…”. Adding and editing individual colors In the Project Colors dialog, you can fully customize the color palette. To add new colors to the color palette, pro - ceed as follows: 1.Add a new color by clicking the Insert New Color button. 2.In the Project Colors section, click the newly created color field to activate the new color for editing. 3.Use the Standard Colors or Modify Color sections to specify a new color. To do this, pick a different color from the color palette, drag the cursor in the color circle, move the handle in the color meter, or enter new RGB values as well as values for hue, saturation, and luminosity manually. 4.Click the Apply button. The color setting is applied to the selected color field in the Project Colors section. ÖEvery color in the Project Colors section can be edited this way. Setting intensity and brightness To increase or decrease the intensity and the brightness of all colors, use the corresponding buttons in the Project Colors section. Saving and resetting color settings •To return to your project colors, click the “Reset To Cur- rent Project Defaults” button. •To save the current set as default, click the “Save Cur- rent Set as Program Defaults” button. •To apply the default set, click the “Load Program De- faults to Current Set” button. •To return to Cubase’s standard color palette, click the “Reset Current Set to Factory Settings” button. Where are the settings stored? As you have seen, there are a large number of ways in which you can customize Cubase. While some of the set - tings you make are stored with each project, others are stored in separate preference files. If you need to transfer your projects to another computer (e. g. in another studio), you can bring all your settings along by copying the desired preference files and install - ing them on the other computer. ÖIt is a good idea to make a backup copy of your prefer- ence files once you have set things up the way you want! This way, if another Cubase user wants to use his or her personal settings when working on your computer, you can restore your own preferences afterwards. Remove Selected Color Insert New Color Increase/decrease intensity for all colors Increase/decrease brightness for all colors Reset Current Set to Factory Settings Save Current Set as Program DefaultsLoad Program Defaults to Current Set
540 Customizing •Under Windows, preference files are stored in the fol- lowing location: “\Users\